A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1202: When the Tianshan Mountains are covered with snow

It was still a warm spring day before we entered the mountain, but as we meandered along the mountain ridges to the mountain pass, the weather was already gloomy and cold.

The pass became narrower and narrower, and the mountain became steeper and steeper.

The further up the mountain they went, the colder the weather became. Soon snowflakes began to fall from the mountain, and the snow got heavier the higher they went. Wu Huaiyu and his men had put on more clothes at the foot of the mountain, but the soldiers also had to put on capes and cloaks after walking for a while.

The shepherd who served as a guide told Wu Huaiyu and other Anxi generals that the climate in the mountain pass was changeable, with snow all year round and frequent storms.

Although the snow is getting heavier now, based on experience, we don't think there will be a storm, so we are lucky.

We didn’t walk far on the first day of the mountaineering march before it quickly got dark, so we had to stop and rest for the night. It was dangerous to travel at night in such windy and snowy weather, so we could only continue our journey at daybreak.

Everyone set up small felt tents on the road, burned the dry cow dung they carried to keep warm, and boiled some milk tea to warm their cold bodies.

At night, the soldiers slept in each other's arms.

the next morning,
The soldiers continued to move forward in the wind and snow, walking slowly along the mountain path beside the river. They went uphill all the way, the altitude became higher and higher, and each step was difficult.

The path on the mountainside is very narrow, and in many places only one person can walk alone. This is because the advance team had previously made some simple repairs to the road.

At dusk,
We also encountered a landslide, with rocks rolling down the mountain and splattering everywhere. It was thrilling.
Although it was only a small landslide, the accident still injured more than a dozen soldiers and damaged several horses.

Fortunately, it didn't last long. Once it stopped, everyone worked together to quickly clear the rocks that had slid down and blocked the road, and the road was restored.

At night, I still sleep on the road.

On the third day, they arrived at Jiudaowan, where there were high mountains and steep slopes, surrounded by dangers. Wu Huaiyu estimated that the altitude was over 4,000 meters. Many soldiers had begun to suffer from altitude sickness, feeling dizzy and vomiting.

Boda Mountain is in sight.
It was a long and steep slope leading straight to the top of the mountain.

At the foot of the slope, you can still see many goods abandoned by passing merchants, as well as the skeletons of horses, donkeys, etc.

Because many soldiers suffered from severe altitude sickness, they had to stop marching early and rest.

That night, there was wind and snow, the wind was howling, and it was an extremely long night.

The next morning, the various departments reported that dozens of people had died from severe altitude sickness the previous night. They could only wrap their bodies in horsehide and carry them on horseback to continue their unfinished journey. When they arrived at Bohuan City, they would be cremated and their ashes would be sent back to their hometown in the Central Plains for burial.

In the early morning, we ate some dried milk and meat in the snow and then continued to climb the peak.

Our feet were on the slippery gravel, our legs felt heavy as if they were filled with lead, and we gasped for air with our mouths open.

Almost taking a breath after every step,
Wu Huaiyu had to admire these soldiers. Most of the Anxi Army was transferred from Guanzhong and Longyou, but some were from the Central Plains or even the South. Some of them had never seen snow before, let alone climbed snowy mountains.
But none of the Chu, Wu and Yue people retreated.

Finally, on the fifth day,
Wu Huaiyu and his team successfully climbed to the summit of Boda Ridge. Standing on the top and looking out over the two sides in the wind and snow, they saw endless towering mountains, icy peaks and snow-capped mountains.

Going south down the mountain, there is a 120-mile ice bridge road, including a 20-mile ice ladder.

That is a more difficult section than going up the mountain from the north.

In the snow,
Wu Huaiyu discovered a lush patch of vegetation on an open slope at the top of Boda Mountain. It turned out to be onion.

These wild onion plants resemble daffodils, but are a darker green with purple flowers.

On the high mountains covered with gravel and snow, the sudden appearance of this vast expanse of green was a great relief to the expeditionary soldiers who had been climbing the mountains for days and were extremely tired and could only chew on dried meat and milk sticks.

These greens are refreshing.

Onion, the onion from Pamir Mountains.

Wu Huaiyu remembered that Lingshan was the northern plain of the Pamir Mountains.

This Lingshan Mountain is known as the Central Ridge of Tianshan Mountains and the top of Tianshan Mountains.

It is reasonable to see the onions of Pamir Mountains here. This onion, scientifically known as Allium grandiflorum, is light-loving, cold-resistant, and heat-intolerant. They grow on the tops of mountains and take root in gravel and sand.
Strong smell, spicy taste.

It can warm the stomach, dispel cold and stop diarrhea.

This wild onion has very beautiful round purple flowers during its flowering period and also has good medicinal effects.

It is said that it is not very delicious, but business travelers passing by usually tear off a handful of onions and eat them.

It is very difficult to make a bowl of wild onion beef noodles on the top of a mountain at an altitude of 5,000 meters. You should know that the boiling point of water is only 83 degrees at an altitude of 5,000 meters.

I can't eat the scallion beef noodles.

But it is possible to boil a pot of water at 80 degrees and make a pot of warm butter milk tea, and pick a handful of dark green onions, the taste is really strong.

On the top of the mountain, cooking butter tea with cow dung in the snow is also a very special experience.
The milk tea contains not only butter but also brick tea, dried milk, salt, shredded ginger and a handful of chopped green onions that have just been picked from the mountains.

Wrapped in a fur coat, drinking this hard-earned cup of chopped green onion milk tea, looking at the vast mountains,

I feel like I've been elevated at this moment.
Even though it was so cold that my nose was bubbling.

Wu Huaiyu poured a cup of chopped green onion butter milk tea for Pei Shi, the king of Shule.
Standing on the top of Boda Mountain and looking far to the southwest, you will see the Kingdom of Shule.

Pei Shi was in mixed feelings, for he knew that this time he would completely become a puppet king of the Tang people, and he felt unwilling but helpless.

"From here, go down the mountain and walk along the 120-li Ice Bridge Road to the Suluo Beacon. Another 30 miles to the Great Stone City of the Kingdom of Qiuci."

Dashicheng is Swallow Mountain, also known as Wuchi Mountain. Because there are many fossils in this mountain that resemble swallows, people named it Swallow Mountain.

This mountain rises from the ground and is steep. Standing on the top of the mountain and looking into the distance, you can see the surroundings at a glance. After Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty built the Chen Tang Beacon Tower on the top of the mountain because of its dangerous geographical location.

When Chen Tang forged an imperial edict to send troops to attack Kangju and the Xiongnu Chanyu, he passed through this place.

Dashicheng was the western defense line of the Kingdom of Kucha, controlling the southern pass of Bodaling, the most important mountain range on the Hot Spring Road from Kucha to Suiye.

Oishi Castle is also the dividing line of the Atamido East-West Line.
The complete Atakado Road should also include the eastern section from Dashicheng to Qiuci City, which is another 760 miles long.

Kucha is the real center of the countries south of the Tianshan Mountains.

Whether in terms of national strength or its geographical location, it is the center.

Wu Huaiyu wanted to capture Qiuci and control it.

But the Bai family of King Qiuci behaved very submissively, so Wu Huaiyu had no reason to raise an army. This time, taking advantage of the fact that the three kingdoms of Shule had joined the rebellion of Asijie, Wu Huaiyu sent troops to the east. Even when Shule had surrendered, he still came in person. In fact, he had other intentions.

He was more interested in Kucha.

There is an allusion called "Fake Road to Attack Guo".
Wu Huaiyu is now sending troops to conquer the three kingdoms of Shule and he also has to pass through Qiuci.

When the Anxi Army passes through, there will be more room for maneuver. Whether it is in the name of ensuring logistics supply transportation or other reasons, Wu Huaiyu can deploy troops in the northwest of Qiuci.

They could first deploy temporarily, but once the Anxi Army was stationed there, it would not be so easy to leave. Especially in Dashicheng, Wu Huaiyu had long been determined to take it.

This is an important node in Atamido.
Troops must be stationed there.

Although the current King of Kucha, Baisufadie, is still relatively submissive, Wu Huaiyu knows very well that when the Tang Dynasty begins to truly advance deep into the south of the Tianshan Mountains, a conflict of interests with Kucha will be inevitable. At that time, Kucha will certainly not surrender easily, which has been proven in history.

So now the initiative is in Tang's hands.

Ever since Ban Chao, the Protector General of the Western Regions, replaced Yuliduo, the King of Kucha established by the Xiongnu, and supported Bai Ba as the King of Kucha, the Bai family, as the royal family of Kucha, has ruled Kucha for nearly 800 years.

Although these oasis city-states in the Western Regions are small, their history of rule, which can last for seven or eight hundred years, is still amazing.

Of course, this is not because of how strong they are, but because of the special geographical location. After all, it is an oasis city-state in the desert. It is difficult for there to be a superpower in the Western Regions. Most of the Central Plains dynasties or grassland nomadic khanates only want them to surrender and pay tribute, and they will not replace them.

The King of Kucha also sent envoys to pay tribute to the Central Plains dynasty, but at the same time they also paid tribute to the Turks.

For example, the current King of Kucha, Baisufadie, has accepted the titles of King of Kucha and Governor of Kucha conferred by the Tang Dynasty, and is also the title of Shijianmoheshilifa conferred by the Turks.

"What kind of person do you think the King of Kucha is?" Wu Huaiyu asked the Six-Fingered King of Shule who was shivering from the cold beside him.

Pei Shi took two big gulps of butter and wild onion milk tea. He didn't care about the strong and bitter taste of the wild onion. He was already satisfied with drinking some butter tea that could warm his body, even if the tea became warm soon after it was brewed.

"The Chinese surname of the Kucha royal family is Bai, while the Kucha language is Sufa, which means gold in the Kucha language."

Pei Shi was quite familiar with his neighbor, Qiuci. The Shule Kingdom had always been respectful and resentful of Qiuci.
The current king, Sufadi, means the golden god in Kuche language, and his father, the previous king, Sufabo, means the golden flower in Kuche language.

From the golden flower to the golden god,
Interesting.

During the Sui Dynasty's Daye period, Sufabochu also went to the Central Plains to pay tribute to the Sui emperor and expressed his allegiance. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty's Wude period, Sufabochu sent envoys to the court to pay tribute. The old king paid tribute to both the central government and the Western Turks, and did not offend each other.

In the seventh year of Wude, after his death, the Golden God Sufadie succeeded to the throne and had a closer relationship with the Western Turkic Khanate, and even married Ashina of the Turkic Khanate.

In the eyes of the people in the Central Plains, the people west of Gaochang had deep eyes and high noses, and some even called them Tocharians.

Kucha and Shule are also types of Tocharian. Most of the people in Kucha, Shule, and even Loulan and Khotan have deep eyes, high noses, red or brown hair, and Caucasian features.

"King Sufadi of Kucha married Ashina of the Turkic tribe as his queen, and even his younger brother Helibushibi also married Ashina."

At this point, Pei Shi took another sip of tea, his eyes filled with sarcasm, "In order to control the various countries, the Turks forced almost every king to marry Ashina, but there are not many good Ashina queens.
Outsiders say that Kucha is a powerful country, Buddhism is flourishing, and the king is a golden god.

In fact, the King of Kucha, Sufadi, was very weak. The military and political affairs of Kucha were controlled by the Turkic Tutun. His queen even had an affair with the Turkic Tutun.
The Turks also deliberately supported his brother, Halibushibi, to weaken the king's authority, but Halibushibi's wife, Ashina, also had an affair with the prime minister, Nali.

Wu Huaiyu didn't expect to hear such gossip.

He was not very interested in eating melons, but he also heard that on the surface, the Kingdom of Kucha was the strongest among the countries in the Western Regions, especially those south of the Tianshan Mountains, but the king was just a puppet, controlled by the Turks.

The people who really held power in Kucha were the Turkic Tutun, the prime minister supported by Tutun, and other Kucha nobles, as well as the famous monks and wealthy merchants of Kucha.

This is good news.

Now the upper echelons of the Western Turkic Khaganate had been forced to kneel down and sing the song of conquest by Wu Huaiyu, with five khans in power. The Kucha Tutun originally sent by the Southern Court could not make any waves in front of the Anxi Army.

If we can deal with Tutun of Kucha and his Turkic garrison, we can control Kucha more easily in the next step.

We can consider moving the Anxi Protectorate from Gaochang to Qiuci.
In this way, the Grand Protectorate is in a central position, which is more advantageous whether it is to command the countries south of the Tianshan Mountains or to intimidate the Turkic tribes north of the Tianshan Mountains.

"Your Majesty is now divorced from Princess Zhenzhu. What kind of person do you plan to marry? Do you want me to be a matchmaker for you?"

Pei Shi immediately understood what Wu Huaiyu was planning. She was definitely going to marry a Tang Dynasty royal family girl to be her queen. How was this different from what the Turks had done before?

But in the end, he didn't dare to refuse and instead had to express his gratitude to Wu Huaiyu.

Wu Huaiyu indeed planned so. The Turks were so good at using this trick, and the effect was obviously very good, so why didn't the Tang Dynasty use it?

In later generations, the Qing Dynasty used the tactic of Manchu-Mongol marriage to tie the Mongols firmly to their chariot.

There is no need for real princesses or royal family members. You can choose some palace ladies and confer them the title of princess, or county lady, and then marry them in batches to the Khans, kings, Yehu, Shijin, Chuo, Shijin, Jie Lifa, Teqin, etc. in the Western Regions.

Wu Huaiyu believed that there would still be some palace maids willing to go to the Western Regions to become noble ladies such as Khatun, queen, governor's wife, general's wife, etc.

Anyway, it’s based on the principle of voluntariness. Those who are willing to go can choose, and those who don’t want to go will not be forced.

It is easy to go up the mountain but difficult to go down.
This sentence is true.

It took five days to climb the Boda Ridge from the north, which was only a few dozen miles.
It is still 150 miles down the mountain to Dashi City, including 100 miles of ice road, and 20 miles of the most difficult ice stairs.

These one hundred and fifty miles,

The army marched for ten days.

Especially the 20-mile ice ladder, every step was dangerous and difficult.

Many soldiers' horses and mules slipped off the ice cliff, and their bodies could not be recovered. Wu Huaiyu could only have a monument erected there to record the names of the Tang Anxi soldiers and the Turkic tribesmen who died there in memory of them.

The journey from Chishan City to Dashi City is a total of 240 miles, and it took more than 30,000 people half a month to walk.

It took them only ten days to travel 960 miles from Suiye City to Chishan.

When Dashi City came into sight, everyone couldn't help but cheer. Everyone was exhausted both physically and mentally after spending half a month in the mountains.

The Dashicheng City is about ten feet high and made of stone. It is about two miles long and has three gates. It is truly easy to defend and difficult to attack. It stands on Yanzi Mountain.

Although the castle is small and built on a dangerous hill,
But at the foot of the mountain is an oasis with abundant water and grass, and it is even called the Silk Road Spring City. Half of the city is mountain scenery and the other half is springs. Some even say it is the best scenery in southern China.

There is no biting cold in the severe winter and no scorching heat in the midsummer.

The Chen Tang Beacon Tower is on a high mountain in the distance, echoing the Dashi Castle in the distance.

Wu Huaiyu, who had just come down from the snow-capped mountains and icy roads, couldn't help but fall in love with this place.

"Dashi City should be guarded by Dashi, and more than a thousand Tang Anxi troops should be stationed there. Beacon towers, post houses and settlements should be built around it to protect this important Silk Road route."

When the Kucha defenders in Dashi City saw the army coming down the mountain, they hurried to greet them.

Cao Qin stepped forward unceremoniously and asked to lead his troops into Dashi City and temporarily take over the city.

The Kucha defender was not of high rank and had only a hundred soldiers under his command. Facing thousands of troops, he did not dare to breathe and honestly gave Dashi City to Cao Qin, the commander of Shule Town.

He was a little confused. This man was obviously a Sogdian, but he claimed to be the general of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty. Then he came to Shannan to serve as the garrison commander of Shule, but he led his troops to station in Dashicheng, Qiuci.

As the garrison commander of Shule, you should lead your troops to garrison in Shule.

(End of this chapter)